Stars
by EdithMay
Summary: Mariah Gabrielle Francis is an half angel. And dying of cancer. All she wants is one perfect day before she runs out of time. The angels search for a way to deal with her, and find the angel parent, while the boys try to give her that one better day.
1. Chapter 1

I was seven years old when I was diagnosed with cancer. I never knew my father and my mother was a single mom, and had to support me, with all of my medical bills, and my struggles. I'm fourteen now, and I have three months left to live. No more, no less. I've prayed ever since I was seven. Once when I went to bed, one when I woke up. I prayed for a better day. One more day of my life. I prayed every time I went into a surgery, hoping to wake up, that the cancer will gone. So far, all the prayers haven't been heard. Except for the ones where I prayed to the angel Gabriel. I don't know why. He can't get rid of the cancer, I know that because angels aren't real. But sometimes, when I send him a prayer, the pain will ease, and I can sleep without the morphine. It's all okay, though I know it won't last. Nothing ever does.

My name is Mariah Gabrielle Francis.

I lay in my hospital bed in the dark, looking out the window. Outside, the lights of the city shimmered, and above them were the stars. But I could never see them fully. It was on my short list. I want to see the stars with no city lights before I die. I smiled a bit, rolling over. I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling tired. I opened my eyes slowly and looked at the window that gave me a view of the hall. Three men in suits, one tall, and other medium height and the other a bit shorter, wearing a trench coat walked past. The tall one glanced at me through the window, and then at the ivs in my arms, and my bald head. I looked down, tears in my eyes. I forgot what it felt like to have long hair. It wasn't very often now that people looked at me, but it hurt when someone did. I rolled back over, and looked at the stars. Maybe, when I died, I would be among the stars, and look down upon the Earth, and keep guard over all its innocent people. I didn't see the man in the trench coat stop and look at me.

Castiel stopped suddenly, looking through the window at the girl in the bed. I stopped and looked back at him.

"Cas?" I asked. Dean stopped a little ways away and looked them.

"What is it?" Dean asked. Castiel kept looking at the girl, confused.

"That girl...She's not human." Castiel said.

"Offensive. Cas, she has cancer. It's obvious." Dean said, looking at the girl who was looking at the window on the other side of the room that looked out to the city.

"No...No there is something off about her." Castiel said slowly. He's confused.

"Like Dean just said. She has cancer." I said, looking down at Castiel.

"She's half angel." Castiel said, then disappeared. Sam and Dean looked at each other, confused.

"What the hell?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. Are half-angels even a thing?" I asked.

"Dude, what the hell?" Dean asked again. "It freaked Cas out. Maybe we should talk to her?"

"And scare her? She looks like she's ten." I said, looking at the girl.

"If this is what Cas thinks it is, then maybe we should do him a favor." Dean said, walking towards the door. "Besides, the case we have now is a dead-end." He added. The girl turned and looked at us, confused.

"Who are you?" She asked. She had greenish hazel eyes, and she seemed short.

"My name is Dean and this is my brother Sam. We're doing a paper on people suffering from Cancer, and we were wondering if we could ask you a few questions. Like about you and such." Dean smiled, sitting down beside her bed.

"Well um...I suppose so." She said, looking up at me, then to Dean.

"Alright...What is your name?" I asked, smiling.

"Mariah. My full name is Mariah Gabrielle Francis." Mariah said, smiling a little.

"How old are you?" Dean asked.

"Fourteen." Mariah answered. Dean glanced at me, then Mariah.

"When did you learn that you had cancer?" I asked, hoping that it was only a month ago or even shorter time than that.

"When I was seven. I've been told that I have three months left to live." Mariah said calmly.

"Oh god..." I whispered, looking down. Dean looked sad.

"You are very brave. You are an inspiration." Dean smiled at Mariah.

"I think I might go to Heaven, or something like that when I die. I'm not scared." Mariah said, looking down.

"God would be a complete idiot if he didn't let you into Heaven." I said. Mariah looked up at me and smiled, laughing a little.

"I agree. Though I would rather be among the stars. I want to see them clearly before I die. That's my one wish." Mariah said. "Wait, you won't publish that part will you? I don't want all those charity cases trying to get me to be on their side to they will get more money or attention or something like that. It's all a lie, I find. If they were actually using the money for something, I wouldn't be dying! I'd have more than just three months left to live! They have given up on me, and it's not fair!" Mariah cried. Tears had formed in her eyes and started to slowly fall down her cheeks. I sat down on her bed, and gently hugged her.

"Nothing in life is fair, Mariah. For a lot of people, it's short. For other's it's long. But you have to make it worth while, no matter what the length of it is. You have to look past the darkness, and hope for a better day. One day that you will always think about when you are down. A perfect day." I said, rubbing her back a little. I felt Mariah nod.

"That's all I want." Mariah said.

"Maybe we can help you. I mean, we've been through hell. We can help you through your's." I smiled. I glanced at Dean and saw him look down, smiling a little.

"I'd like that." Mariah said, moving away from the hug and smiling at me.

I appeared in a large room, where many of the powerful angels are gathered.

"There is a half-angel on Earth! A daughter of an angel. Some angel was careless. We need to deal with this problem. We can't let any one else know of this. Especially the demons. They will find that girl and us her against us. She could be powerful. She has the emotions of a human, and the powers of an angel." I said, looking at the angels.

"We should take care of this problem fast and easy. We kill the girl." One of the angels said.

"No. We should bring her here, and train her to be like us. Make her forget about her human side, so she will be just an angel." Another suggested. I shook my head. Sam and Dean wouldn't approve of this.

"I thought angels couldn't breed in the first place. Only God creates angels, and the last one created was a long time ago." The first one said.

"It could have been one of the fallen or one of the runaways." I said quickly.

"That leaves us with Anna, Gabriel, Balthazar, yourself, and Lucifer." The second said.

"I am not a runaway." I yelled.

"Yes, but remember, Castiel, you almost fell." The angel said smugly.

"I never mated with anyone, so it's not me. Lucifer never got the chance to. The only other three are dead!" I said, glaring at them all.

"What if...one of the three mated before they died?" A third angel asked. The other angels nodded in agreement.

"That is a good theory. I will need to find more about this girl. I will report back soon." I said, then disappeared. I found myself in the room of the Half-Angel. The girl jumped and looked at me with wide eyes.

"Cas, this is Mariah Gabrielle Francis. Mariah, this is our friend, Cas." Sam said.

"Oh...Hello Cas." Mariah said slowly. She seemed very human. She must not know her angel parent. That and she was also sick.

"Are you aware that you are half of an angel?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"Uh...What?" Mariah asked, seeming confused. "I pray to angels, but I would never consider myself one. Angels don't have cancer. They can't die."

"Who do you pray to?" I asked, stepping closer to her.

"Well...God mostly, but he never answers my prayers. I know he never will because he isn't real, but I still have some faith that there is something out there that cares about me, and hears me." Mariah said, smiling a little.

"Obviously God won't answer you. He stopped caring a long time ago." I said.

"Alright...Well we'll see you tomorrow, okay Mariah?" Dean asked. Mariah nodded, and Sam and Dean walked out, and I reluctantly followed.

"She seems more human than anything." I said as we walked down the hall.

"You have three months to figure out what she is. Then you've lost her." Dean said sadly.


	2. Chapter 2

My dreams are all the same now. I find myself standing on a cliff, looking up at a huge, dark sky full of burning stars, and galaxies, solar systems, planets, moons and nebulas. It all creates a beautiful, purplish glow. I lie down, and look up at the beautiful sky, sparkling and glittering, glinting, flashing, and watch. I watch asteroids with their fiery tails shot across the sky. I watch the planets revolve around a star. I watch the galaxies turn. I watch the nebulas, with all it's dust and gas particles form into something amazing. Then, the sky will get closer, and I will reach up, and take hold of a small galaxy with its stars and nebulas and hold it in my hand, looking down at it shimmer in my hands. It seeps into my skin and I feel like I have power, that the cancer is gone, and I can fly away. My skin glitters with the stars under it. But this time is different. After it's seeped into my skin, I looked back up at the wonderful sky, someone walks up to me. I turn my head slowly and looked up at him.

"Hello Mariah. My name is Gabriel." He said. I looked at him, wondering why he is here. Then I suddenly woke up. I opened my eyes, looking up at the dull white ceiling with black spots. No more stars or galaxies, or planets, solar systems, moons or nebulas. Just a white, flat ceiling that won't go anywhere. Won't show me things that I want to see. It might be the last thing I'll ever see. That thought brought tears to my eyes. It could be the last thing I saw. Maybe it'll be my mother's face that will be the last thing I see. Or the window where I can see the city lights will be the last thing I see. Or maybe, I'll die in my sleep, and my dream will be the last thing I see. I'd like that better than the ceiling. But maybe seeing something real instead of a dream is better because my last memory will be of something real. Not a fantasy. A real, and harsh memory might be better than a fantasy made up in my subconscious mind. I looked away from the ceiling and looked out the window at the dark city. Who was that man in my dream? His name was Gabriel. Who was he? Maybe just someone I made up in my mind. Gabriel is the name of one of the angels I pray to. Maybe it was him. Doubt it though. He didn't look like much of an angel. I sighed, and closed my eyes, thinking of my dream, with all of space, and smiled.

"There is a half-angel here on Earth, Crowley." The demon said. I smiled, sitting up.

"A half-angel? That's only happened twice before. Who is it this time?" I asked, taking a sip of my drink.

"A girl named Mariah Gabrielle Francis. She is dying of cancer, with three months left to live." The demon said, smirking a little.

"Bring her here. We could shorten her length of suffering." I smiled, finishing off my drink. I set the cup down, then walked out of the room as the demon nodded

I felt cold. Maybe I had kicked the blanket off while I slept. I tried to move to get the blanket, only to find that I couldn't. I opened my eyes suddenly, looking around. I am sitting in a large, wooden chair that is stained with blood. My hands are tied down to the arms of the chair, and my feet are tied too. I screamed, unsure if this was a nightmare or not. Maybe the stories that Sam had told me had gotten to me. I closed my eyes tightly, thinking of my perfect dream with the galaxies, stars, solar systems, planets, nebulas, and asteroids. But it wasn't working.

"Your name is Mariah...Yes?" It was a man's voice. He sounded like he was from England. I nodded. "Alright, Mariah. Just answer the questions honestly, and simply, and this won't hurt at all." He stepped out of the dark. I started to panic, which caused my anxiety to act up, and I started to hyperventilate, pulling at the bonds around my feet and wrists. Within seconds, I couldn't breathe at all.

"Crowley. Back off." I heard another voice. It was the same as the man, Gabriel that had been in my dream. The man in front of me, Crowley, stood up, and looked at something behind him. I continued to struggle, trying to get away, but I was slowing down due to the lack of air in my cancer infected lungs. They had recently found more cancer there. There was a sudden bright light, and Crowley disappeared. I closed my eyes tightly, shaking violently. I heard foot steps, and someone knelt in front of me. I opened my eyes slowly. What greeted me, were wings. Huge, golden three-layered wings. I stared at them with wide eyes, then I blacked out.

I hurried into the room, Sam and Dean following me. I knew that something had happened to Mariah. Something bad. When we walked into the room, she was laying in her bed, sleeping.

"Cas, she's fine." Dean said after a moment.

"No. Something happened. I know something did!" I said, walking over to Mariah, and looking down at her. After a few minutes, I moved to the window, looking at the window sill. Then I saw what I was looking for. I turned to Sam and Dean. "Sulphur. I told you." I said, then walked back over to Mariah.

"So a demon was here? But didn't hurt Mariah?" Sam asked. He stood on the other side of Mariah's bed.

"We'll have to see what Mariah can tell us." I answered. Mariah shifted in her sleep, then slowly opened her eyes. She suddenly sat up, her eyes wide, then realized that it was us. She looked to Sam, scared. Sam sat down beside her on the bed and hugged her.

"Mariah...What happened?" Sam asked.

"I don't know...if it was a dream or not..."Mariah gasped, wrapping her arms around Sam tightly.

"You can tell me. It's all okay now. It's over." Sam said gently.

"I woke up...in a dark room...and I was tied to a chair. And the chair was stained with blood...And there was a man there...He told me...that as long as I answered the questions...honestly...it wouldn't hurt. And then another man showed up...and he told the first man, whose name was Crowley, I think...well he told him to back off, and when he didn't...there was a bright light, and Crowley disappeared, and then the second man ran over to me, and I saw these huge wings...three layered I think. And they were golden..." Mariah explained.

"You saw an angel's wings?" I asked, surprised.

"Was it an angel? I saw the same man in my normal dream earlier too." Mariah said, moving away from Sam.

"Did he say his name?" I asked quickly.

"Gabriel." Mariah said quickly.

"Who the hell was that?" I yelled at the demon.

"His name is Gabriel." The demon said, looking down.

"You mean the Arch Angel?" I cried, spinning to look at the demon. The demon nodded. "What...What if he is the girl's father?" I asked, smiling a little.

"There is a chance that he is." The demon agreed. I smiled a little, then poured myself a drink. "I don't think it's a good idea to go up against him, Crowley." I rolled my eyes, walking away.

I lay on the ground, looking up at the sky. It's full of galaxies, stars, solar systems, planets, and nebulas. I smiled a little, watching the planets and galaxies turn, and the asteroids shot across the sky. Some one walked over to me and laid down beside me. I turned my head, and looked at the person. It was Gabriel.

"You...You saved me from Crowley. How are you in my dream?" I asked. Gabriel looked at me, and smiled a bit.

"I'm an angel. I have the power to get into dreams. Your dream..." Gabriel looked up at the sky, smiling a little. "Is one of the most beautiful dreams I've ever seen."

"Why are you here?" I asked. I noticed that his eyes are the same colour as mine. He looked at me and smiled.

"Have you ever met your father, Mariah?" Gabriel asked.

"No. Mom told me he left a week after I was born." I explained. "Why?"

"You're a half angel, Mariah. I'm your dad." Gabriel said smiling.

"What?" I cried, sitting up. "What?" I repeated. He sat up and looked at me.

"I'm sorry I left. But I had made a mistake, and if the angels found out, I don't know what they would do. And they have found out, and that's why I'm back. I'm here to keep you safe." Gabriel explained, taking my hands.

"You can keep me safe from angels and demons. But you can't keep me safe from the cancer that is killing me! I'm dying! I have three months left to live! Why did you have to show up now? Why couldn't you have stayed?" I yelled, tears in my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mariah! I'm so sorry..."Gabriel said, looking down. I looked away from my father, shaking a bit. "You are dying...I'm sorry, Mariah. I can fix it. I can let you live longer." He said, desperate.

"No. I don't want to live any longer like this. I'm content with seeing this every night, and spending my last few months in a hospital bed, thanks." I said calmly.

"Mariah, please! Don't talk like that." Gabriel cried. He hugged me tightly. "Don't talk like that." He repeated. I hugged back, looking up at the beautiful sky.

"So you want me to lie?" I breathed. I felt him tighten his arms around me.

"Let me fix it. Please." He begged.

"No. If you love me, you'll let me die the way I want. If I am what you say I am, I'll die because of the angels and demons. Don't let them have me like that. Let me die like a human would." I said, watching the planets spin around, and the galaxies turn.

"I won't let them hurt you, Mariah. I love you, and I won't leave you." Gabriel breathed. I smiled a little, and nodded, then closed my eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

I sat beside Mariah, watching her. She was sleeping soundly. I could see something small pressing against her pillow. I Leaned forward, and saw that it was wings. Small golden wings. Mariah has wings.

"Castiel." I turned suddenly and looked at the person in the door way, my eyes wide.

"Gabriel." I breathed, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Hey bro." Gabriel smiled, then walked over to Mariah, sitting down on the other side of the bed beside her. "So I see you've meet my daughter. I assume that the angels know too then?" Gabriel asked, looking down at her. I nodded slowly, starting to feel bad for what I had done.

"I thought you were dead." I said, not looking at him.

"I didn't die at all, silly. You know my tricks." Gabriel smiled again.

"I am very aware of them, Gabriel." I said, finally looking up at my big brother.

"Cas, don't be upset for what you did. I understand. Besides, Mariah is content with death now. She would just rather it be by the cancer, then the angels or demons." Gabriel explained, looking at Mariah's small wings.

"I'm sorry." I said, looking down.

"Hey. I said it's okay." Gabriel said, smiling at me. I nodded, glancing down at the dying half-angel.

* * *

I woke up slowly, and looked around. My dad was there, and Castiel was. And someone else. My eyes went wide, and I tried to scramble backwards.

"Mariah? What is it?" Gabriel asked.

"Crowley." Castiel hissed, standing up.

"Hello boys. I believe you have someone I want to see." Crowley said, smiling a little. Gabriel stood up, stepping towards Crowley.

"Why don't you go and crawl back into the hole you came from, you demonic scum." Gabriel hissed.

"Ow. Hurtful." Crowley smirked.

"Like I care about your feelings. Now, you had better leave." Gabriel said, his tone low.

"Not in till I get to see your little girl over there." Crowley demanded.

"No. Get near her, and I'll kill you." Gabriel growled.

"I won't hurt her. Besides, what I can do is nothing compared to what is already happening to her. You are aware that she is dying, right?" Crowley asked calmly.

"I am well aware of it." Gabriel said darkly.

"Relax, Gabriel. I'm not like every demon you've faced." Crowley said, stepping closer.

"I don't trust you." Gabriel said, watching him.

"And you have every right to." Crowley answered smoothly.

"Stop it! Stop it now!" I yelled. The angel and the demon turned and looked at me, surprised. "Though it may be short, and weak, it's my life, and I decide. I don't want to deal with any of you! I don't want the angels bothering me! I don't want the demons bothering me! I want to die happy, and you are ruining it! You are all ruining it! I want to be human! I want to die a human!" I screamed. The light in the room blew out, sparks flying from it. They stared at me, surprised, and I glared right back at them. "You are ruining it..." I said again, looking down. Gabriel looked back Crowley.

"Leave. Now." He said. Crowley disappeared quickly. Gabriel looked back at me. "Mariah...I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." He said, sitting down beside me. "I didn't know that you felt like that."

"You don't know much. You don't know that I wanted to be an astronomer. That I wanted to study the stars. When I was in school, they didn't know I had cancer, and they bullied me because I had no hair! They said I was stupid because I was hardly there, so I failed in school! I'll never get to see the stars, and the I'll die here in this hospital bed!" I cried. Tears fell down my cheeks on to the blanket. Gabriel reached forward, and brushed the tears away. He pulled me close to him, and wrapped his wings around me. They felt soft, like velvet.

"Don't cry. I know it's scary, but it'll be okay. I'll make sure you are happy, and you die the way you want." Gabriel said, kissing the top of my head. I nodded a little, closing my eyes.

* * *

I looked up as Sam walked in, holding a large box.

"What is that?" I asked, getting up.

"A present." Sam answered, setting the box down on his bed. It's a telescope.

"Where the hell did you get that?" I asked, walking over and looking at it. "Sam, this is two hundred dollars!" I cried.

"Dean, relax. I paid for it." Sam said, grabbing a piece of paper, and some tape.

"Who is it for?" I asked, watching him.

"Mariah. She likes the stars, and she wants to see them. So I got her the best one I could find." Sam answered, writing Mariah's name down on the paper, then tapping it to the large box.

"It won't be used for long." I said solemnly.

"Don't...Don't talk about that, please." Sam said quietly.

"It's the truth though." I said slowly.

"I just want her to be happy before she dies. Please just let me." Sam said, picking up the box again. "I'm going to barrow the car." Sam said, walking out. I nodded a little, looking down, then turned and followed Sam.

* * *

I lay in bed, reading. Gabriel sat by the window, looking out the window. The door opened, and I looked up. Sam and Dean walked, Sam holding a large box. Gabriel turned and looked at them.

"Sam? Dean? What are you doing here?" Gabriel asked.

"We have a gift for you, Mariah!" Sam smiled.

"A present?" I asked, setting my book down. Sam set the box down on the bed, and I opened it quickly. "Oh my god...It's a telescope!" I cried, lifting the main part of it out of the box. It's white and black, and large. "I love it!"

"I'm glad." Sam said. I quickly started to put it together. In a few minutes, it was properly put together, and dad helped me carry it to the window. I angled it, and looked through it. I could see the moon more clearly, and when I turned it a little, I could focus on the stars more. I knew I was breathing quickly due to the excitement and it was bad, but I couldn't help myself. I felt so happy. I tried to breathe in, only to find that I couldn't. I coughed, and brought my hand up to my mouth. When I looked at it, I saw blood. I started to panic, trying to breathe, but it only made things worse. I fell away from the telescope, towards the floor. Sam caught me, and pulled me back to the bed. I coughed up more and more blood.

"Somebody! Help! We need a doctor!" Sam yelled. A few minutes later, my doctor and a few nurses ran in. Sam, Dean and my father are pushed out of the room. I reached out towards my father, wanting him to stay, but they wouldn't let him.

* * *

They let us back into Mariah's room two hours later. She lay limply in bed, unconscious. There was an IV in both of her arms, and a tube around her head, and into her nose so she could breathe. Her heart rate was slow. I sat down in the chair beside her bed, taking her hand. Sam and Dean stood by the window. There was a bit of blood on the floor by the telescope.

"We can't let those angels and demons get to her." Sam said after a few moments. "They will only make things worse, and kill her quicker."

"Her cancer is getting worse. She has less than three months left to live. I just want her to be happy." I whispered.

"I know...I shouldn't have gotten that telescope. I'm sorry." Sam said, looking down.

"No. I'm glad you did. She was happy. I've never seen her smile that before, even if it was only for a few minutes." I said, looking up at them. "Thank you. You did more for her then I ever could."

"You can still do something." Dean said. "Keep the damn angels away from her."

"Speaking of which...Where is Cas?" Sam asked, looking around.

"He was here awhile ago, but he disappeared." I said, looking back down at Mariah.

"What if he is on the angel's side in this?" Sam asked.

"He wouldn't!" Dean cried.

"It wouldn't be the first time he betrayed us." Sam said calmly.

"Can we talk about this later?" I asked, begging. They nodded, looking down. Mariah wouldn't get better. She wouldn't last more than a month now. She will die in the next few weeks. Maybe even next week. I vowed not to leave her side.


	4. Chapter 4

I don't like drug induced sleep. I don't like the dreams that result from them. They are normally nightmares. Horrible nightmares. And this is one of them. I ran down the hall, trying not to slip on all the blood. The hall is brightly light, and looks like one from a hotel. The bodies on the floor are torn and disfigured, killed in ways that normal humans shouldn't. No normal human could have done this. Not with a normal gun or a knife like the ones I had seen in movies, and on the news. I heard a scream behind him, and I spun around, and slipped, falling. I screamed, and scrambled to my feet, running even faster. I pushed open two doors, into a large room with a large table with white tables cloths on them, and empty chairs around it. I felt something on my back move suddenly. I screamed again, and turned and looked. I had wings. Gold angel wings. I held back a gasp, smiling a little at them.

"Do you like them" I turned suddenly, and looked at a blonde woman in a suit. She had large black wings, folded back. "You can keep them. Be an angel forever. Because you can."

"Where am I? Why are those people out in the hall...like that?" I asked, looking down.

"This happened when you were about nine, or ten years old. During the start of the Apocalypse. And when your father was thought to have died. Look behind you." The angel said. I turned slowly, looking behind me. On the floor, lay my father, his wings burned into the ground. I choked back a sob. I pinched my arm tightly, closing my eyes. If it's a dream, if I would wake up, and my father would be there, and it would all be okay, somewhat. I opened my eyes and it was all still there. "You will only wake up when you agree to my terms, and join us. Be a good girl." The angel smiled.

"Please...Please! Stop it now!" I cried, falling to my knees. My wings wrapped around myself, rustled and fluttering. "Stop it! Let me wake up! I don't want to be on either side! I want to be a human, and die a human! I don't care about the rules! I'm dying! I know I'm going to die very soon! Just let me wake up!" I sobbed, tears falling from my eyes.

"You heard the girl, Naomi. Let her go." I turned my head. Gabriel stood behind me, the fake one gone. "She doesn't want to be an angel. She doesn't want to be a demon. She wants to be a human, and she will stay that way. You know it's best that way. She'll die even quicker because of you and the demons fighting. Crowley has already tried to take her." Gabriel said, helping me up.

"Tried? Please, Gabriel don't flatter me like that. It's all going to how I want it to." Crowley smiled. We turned and looked Crowley who stood at the other side of the room. "Now hand over the girl."

"No. She's half an angel. Not a demon! Get lost." Naomi snarled.

"We knew about the girl first! Mariah, you can be more powerful than anything these angels could ever offer you. You won't ever have to worry about the cancer any longer." Crowley smirked, strolling closer to us. Gabriel tightened his arms around me.

"Don't listen to that low scum, Mariah. You can become a warrior of God. Be strong, brave." Naomi smiled.

"I don't want that...I don't want anything any of you want to give me. Leave me alone!" I cried, moving closer to my father. I noticed the blade he held, bright silver, long and very sharp.

"Clingy, isn't she?" Crowley smirked.

"Screw off." Gabriel snapped.

"Give me the little halfling, and I will." Crowley smiled a little.

"You can't have her!" Naomi yelled at the demon, her wings flaring out some more. I started to pinch myself harder more, my nail digging into my skin. I wanted to wake up, and forget about it all. To have it fade away, like the sleeping drugs will eventually. I wished I never met Sam, Dean and Cas. That they never walked past my room. That they went to a different hospital. That I had never been born. I wanted nothing more in that moment.

"Lets settle this with Mariah awake, and away from her, shall we?" Gabriel asked, glaring at them.

"Fine." Naomi and Crowley agreed. I closed my eyes, then opened them, hearing the beeping of the machines around me, and feeling the breathing tubes up my nose, and the IVs in my arms. I looked up at the white, black speckled ceiling. Dull, bland, and hard to look at. I looked around the room. I'm alone, the spot that my father had sat normally is empty. By the window is the telescope. It glints in the light, a harsh reminder of what happened, what can and will happen to me because of the cancer. A light house warning me of the rocky shores, and it's already too late to turn around. I coughed violently, spitting blood out. I held back tears, wishing someone was there. I couldn't even get to my telescope. I couldn't leave my bed. I'd die in it.

* * *

"Gabriel said she won't last long. Less than a week." I said quietly. Dean glanced over to me. He laid in his bed across the room, trying to sleep. It's dark in the room, nearing two am.

"Sam...Shush." Dean mumbled into his pillow.

"Dean, she might be different, but she is still a kid. She had dreams, and things she wanted to do in her life, and now it's gone. It's nothing. She's dying, and it's going to hurt emotionally when she dies. Please at least act like you care." I whispered, pulling the blanket closer over myself.

"I care, Sam." Dean said, opening his eyes and looking across to me.

"What if the angels and demons don't leave her alone till the moment she dies?" I asked, closing my eyes.

"We'll find a way to make them leave her alone. Relax, Sam and go to sleep." Dean grumbled. I sighed and nodded, rolling over to face the wall. I kept thinking about the telescope, and the blood, and how quick it happened. How she got worse in a matter of seconds. It was all my fault. I should never have brought her the telescope.

* * *

I opened my eyes when the door opened. I looked up and saw Dean walk into the room. I looked at him, surprised.

"Dean?" I asked.

"Hey kiddo. Feeling better?" Dean asked, sitting down in the chair beside my bed.

"I'm not feeling better. I'm dying." I said, looking down. Dean looked a bit hurt at my tone. "I'm sorry...I've been alone for a day, my dad is gone, and I'm going to die in this bed, and I can't even use the telescope." I explained, looking down.

"I'm sorry, Mariah. But I'm sure you don't want to hear that. Sam feels really bad. He thinks that he shouldn't have brought you the telescope. He thinks you might be better if you hadn't." Dean said slowly. I looked up at him. I didn't know what to say.

"No. It's not his fault. I knew I would get worse. A lot worse. I don't know how much, but I know when it will end." I said.

"I've felt like that before. Knew my time was running out, and there was no way to stop it. Too late to turn it around. So you keep your head up, and keep fighting to the end." Dean said, looking at me and smiling a little. "I know it wasn't like you were going through, but we have all been through hell in some way. For some, it is actually hell, and for others, it's their life. Maybe your time in that hell is almost up, and when that clock strikes the time, you'll be in a new, wonder heaven. A wonderland of your own." Dean smiled. I smiled a little and nodded.

"Did you find your own heaven after being through hell?" I asked, watching Dean.

"I...Uh...I don't know. Maybe not yet." Dean said, looking down. He thought about Lisa and Ben, and how he could never be with them again, how he had lost that small piece of heaven.

"You seem happy though. Like you can do what ever you want, be with who ever you want. I envy you." I smirked.

"Where is your dad and Cas?" Dean asked abruptly.

"I had a dream. There was an angel and the demon, Crowley there. And my dad. They were fighting over me. Then they decided to fight each other in Reality and not in my dreams. It's been a day. I'm scared, Dean. I'm scared for my dad." I said, my voice quiet.

"At least you have a dad to be scared for." Dean said, looking away.

"So you had a bad relationship with your dad?" I asked.

"Well, kinda...kinda not. He died though a while ago. I bet he's okay where ever he is." Dean smiled at me. "And I'm sure Gabriel is gonna come back perfectly fine to be with you. You don't deserve to die alone. You don't deserve to die in general. You're a smart kid. Mature, wise. Brave too. There was a time when I felt so close to giving up when I was fighting those angels and demons. Just give in to what they wanted. But you...You are staying strong, against them. And you are still fighting that battle cancer." Dean said, still smiling at me.

"I've lost the fight to cancer." I whispered.

"You are stopping now?" Dean asked, his tone soft.

"I stopped a while ago, Dean."

"Don't go to your grave being sad. Be happy. Try to be." Dean tried to smile.

* * *

"Mariah is dying! She has two days left to live!" I yelled.

"We can stop it." Naomi snapped. Castiel stood by her side, looking down.

"She doesn't want you to! She wants to be human." I cried. I would not back down. My daughter deserves to be left alone from all of them. I would fight for her.

"Why?" Crowley asked, clearly confused. "She can be much greater than that."

"She has lived as a human for a long time. Don't stop it now." I begged. Naomi and Crowley started yelling all at once.

"Enough!" Castiel yelled. "Mariah is a young, half angel, half human girl! She has a human side. A pure, innocent half. And you are destroying it. Like the cancer in her lungs. You are just like that cancer. And there are ways to stop it a little. Look up, Crowley." Castiel smirked. Crowley looked up at the very powerful devil's trap above him. He narrowed his eyes, then glared at Castiel. "And for Naomi." Castiel pulled out his angel blade, and stabbed her shoulder, pinning her to the wall. "When Mariah has died the way she wants, as who she wants, then I will let you go." Castiel turned to me. "Shall we?" He asked, smiling a little. I stared at him, shocked, then we disappeared.


	5. Chapter 5

It had gotten bad. Very bad. Mariah had slept for two days, kept unconscious by the drugs while the doctors did their best to save Mariah. We didn't hear nor see any thing from the angels or demons. They were leaving Mariah alone, Castiel and Gabriel had told us. Dean had gone and left every so often. He didn't like being around all the sadness in the room, and tension. Gabriel hardly moved. I stayed with him, but like Dean, came and went, but not so often.

"I'm scared, Sam. I don't want to lose her." Gabriel said, looking down at Mariah. "And I'm going to. I wish I had died when Lucifer tried to kill me."

"Don't say that, Gabriel. Your daughter, when she wakes up won't want to see you like this. She won't want to see her father already grieving over something that hasn't happened yet. She wants her last few days to be happy. Better. If you love her, you'll do that. You'll forget about the pain and try to put on a smile." I said, looking at Gabriel in the eyes. "Okay?" Gabriel nodded. I sighed, looking back down at Mariah. A few minutes later, Dean walked in, holding two coffee cups. He gave one to me, looking at the monitors that tracked Mariah's slow heart beat, then he looked to the IVS and the life support that was keeping Mariah alive, but also making her death slower and painful.

"I don't like it here." Dean said, leaning against the wall.

"I don't think many do. " Gabriel whispered.

"She never did get to use her telescope much did she?" I asked, looking down at my cup of coffee. Gabriel nodded. There was a knock at the door and we looked up. Mariah's doctor stood in the door way.

"I have some bad news." He said. Gabriel looked down, closing his eyes. "We just got the tests back. There is nothing we can do for her now. Mariah won't live to see next week. If we keep her on life support, she might last about a day or so longer. Or we can take her off it now, and let her die in peace." The doctor explained. Gabriel started to shake a bit. It was then that I realized that he was crying. It seemed so strange to me, seeing an angel cry. I always thought they couldn't, but Gabriel clearly isn't a normal angel. "I'll let you discus it." The doctor closed the door quietly as he walked out.

"I have to talk to her." Gabriel said quietly.

"What do you mean?" Dean asked.

"I have to get into her dreams." Gabriel said, then disappeared.

* * *

I watched the stars, the solar systems, the planets, the galaxies, the nebulas and the asteroids around me, spinning and turning through space. I smiled while I watched them. If I died then this would be an okay thing to have as the last thing that I see. I heard foot steps and I looked up. My father smiled at me, and sat down beside me.

"It is beautiful, I must admit. Really beautiful." He said, looking up at them. I smiled.

"Yeah. If this is the last thing I see, then I'd be happy with that." I said, watching a comet shoot by, its firey tale trailing behind it.

"Mariah...the doctors can't do anything else for you. We have a choice. Either pull the plug on your life support or we can keep it in and you might live a day longer, but you will still die." Gabriel explained. I turned and looked at him, my eyes wide. But I knew this was coming. I knew I was going to die, that it was jut a matter of time. But here it was. And I had to make a choice.

"What do you want to do?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Whatever you want. It is your choice, Mariah." Gabriel whispered. I looked up at the planets, solar systems, stars, galaxies, nebulas, and asteroids, watching the light coming off them sparkle and glimmer against the star filled sky. This would be a beautiful last sight to see.

"Pull it." I said after a moment.

"Are you sure?" Gabriel asked, tears in his eyes. I looked to him and nodded. He hugged me tightly, and I hugged my dad right back, his huge golden wings wrapping around me. "I love you, Mariah."

"I love you too, Dad." I said, smiling a little. "Do you think I will go to Heaven?" I whispered. "If I do, I hope it's like this."

"I'm sure you will. And I'm sure it will be exactly like this." Gabriel said, looking at me. I smiled. We have the same eye colour, and hair colour. "I wish I didn't leave you. I should never have. You wouldn't have gotten sick."

"It's okay, dad. It's all okay. We can't go back and fix things. We have to let go, move on. We can't spend our time wishing that we could have done something better. We should spend our time wishing of something that we can do. Something we can do now, or in the future. Let go of the past, and when I die, you have to let go of me. Promise me." I said, looking away from the sky to my father. Gabriel nodded.

"I promise." Gabriel said, trying to smile.

"Good. Now, wake up and pull the plug. I'm ready." I said. Gabriel nodded again, tears in his eyes. He hugged me tightly again, pulling me close to him, then he disappeared. I lay back, and looked up at the sky.

* * *

I appeared in Mariah's room. Sam and Dean were still there, sitting beside Mariah's bed. The doctor walked in that moment.

"Have you made your decision? I know, this is a very difficult one." He said.

"We have. We want to take her off life support." I said. Sam and Dean sat up and looked at me, surprised.

"Alright. Do you want to do it?" Her doctor asked. I nodded. "Okay. Whenever you are ready." The doctor nodded, and stepped out of the room. I walked forward and sat down on the bed beside Mariah. Dean and Sam stepped backward. I gently pulled Mariah into my arms, looking down at her. I pulled the IV out of her arms, then the tube out of her nose. I felt her struggle for breath now. I held her close, feeling her breath slowly, and harshly. I heard the beep from the machine tracking her heart rate as it got slower and slower. I heard Sam counting the beeps, the time between each number getting longer and longer. I gently rocked her back and forth in my arms, keeping my eyes closed. I felt her take a breath, then breathe out as the beeping turned to one long sound. I held her tightly, my head leaning against her forehead. I leaned down and kissed her forehead.

* * *

I looked up at the planets, solar systems, stars, galaxies, nebulas, and asteroids, spinning, turning and sparkling in the sky, brighter than they ever were before, and I smiled, feeling the glow on me, and I closed my eyes.


End file.
